At 41-50, the franchise has not had a winning season since 2008

Associated Press

Published 11:49 pm, Wednesday, July 17, 2013

He was a background piece at these All-Star festivities, a quiet ambassador who let his two stars — David Wright and Matt Harvey — sell the show.

Now the All-Star circus has left town, allowing Terry Collins to return to the desk Bruce Bochy used this week. At that desk, he will plot a course for the final 21/2 months.

"We have 71 to go after today," Collins said Sunday morning in Pittsburgh.

The first 91 games have not been a total disaster, but they have not gone especially well, either. The Mets are 41-50. They are in fourth place. They trail the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves by 10 games.

And yet Collins believes this team can make a run at .500. He believes it can become the first Mets team since 2008 to finish the season with a winning record.

"You've got to be optimistic," Collins said before Tuesday night's All-Star Game. "It's going to take continuing to play well."

Whether they get there or not, these next few months will be a series of auditions. Is Ike Davis the right fit at first base? Will Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Juan Lagares be fixtures in the 2014 outfield? Do the Mets believe in the 2013 version of Bobby Parnell or will they sell while his value is high?

Even Collins finds himself part of this auditioning process. He does not have a contract for next season. His past two teams have produced losing records.

But the front office has sent Collins into a shark-filled poker room with stacks of $1 chips. Even though the Mets have spent some money — Frank Francisco (two years, $12 million), Shaun Marcum (one year, $4 million) — the results have been a disaster.

Still, he believes in the men that populate his 25-man roster. They are the ones who have helped the Mets win 16 of their past 26 games before the break.

"This entire team is about guys who have stepped up when we've asked them to," Collins said. "Be it (Carlos) Torres, be it (Jeremy) Hefner, Marlon Byrd, Omar Quintanilla, Anthony Recker. There's been guys that have stepped up and had good games when we needed someone to have a good game. And it's made a big difference.

"Right now, the attitude's great. The guys are upbeat and positive about the way they're playing. Hopefully, it takes off and continues in the second half."

With Harvey dominating (7-2, 2.35 ERA) and Zack Wheeler showing promise during the first month of his big-league career (3-1, 3.54), the Mets continue to look beyond the Sept. 29 finish line. It may mean that Collins will play out the season with an even weaker hand, should the Mets opt to trade Byrd (.271, 15 HRs, 51 RBIs) for a prospect that will help in 2014 or 2015.

"I know if we make a deal, if Sandy moves somebody, it's for the best interest of our team," Collins said. "Right now Marlon Byrd's a huge piece. So if Marlon Byrd gets moved, we're going to get something good back."

Meanwhile, the auditions will continue. Is Hefner a permanent piece to the starting rotation? Can Ruben Tejada prove he merits another look at shortstop? How long do the Mets wait on Lucas Duda?

And then, of course, there is Collins: The 64-year-old is out to prove he's the right man to shepherd this club back over .500.

Yankees: Alex Rodriguez is going to join Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday, likely the final stop in his rehabilitation from left hip surgery before he returns to the New York Yankees as early as Monday. Rodriguez is 5-for-28 with six strikeouts in his rehab that began July 2 with Class-A Charleston. He hit his first homer on Monday for Double-A Trenton. A-Rod's 20-day rehab limit ends Sunday and he told a New York radio station Wednesday he expects to be in the Yankees' lineup Monday at Texas. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told ESPN New York that Rodriguez could be activated Monday or Tuesday, after a day off. If the team decides the third baseman is not ready for major-league games he has to go back on the disabled list. Rodriguez hasn't played for the Yankees since a dreadful postseason. He had surgery in January.